One way to help control your cholesterol levels is to alter
your diet to cut down on the amount of saturated fats,
trans-fats and cholesterol you eat. It may not be the whole
answer, but at least you will be tackling the problem
without taking drugs. And it should help lower your LDL
cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Choose fish, poultry with the skin and fat removed, or meat
with as much of the fat trimmed off as you can.

Don’t fry food. Bake, roast or poach instead. If you must
fry, use only small amounts of oil.

Processed meats such a sausages, bacon and cold meats tend
to have too much salt in them.

Go for semi-skimmed or fat-free milk, and eat sorbets or
low-fat yoghurts in place of ice cream.

Try low-fat cheeses.

Use margarines with plant stanols or sterols added to help
lower cholesterol. Avoid products with trans-fats in them -
check the labels first.

Skim any fat off homemade soups and gravies (cool them in
the fridge first and the fat will rise to the top).

Use whole grain pasta, brown rice or peas and beans in your
main meals and add small pieces of meats to flavour rather
than as the main ingredient.

Go for food with lots of fibre and nutrients, such as whole
grain breads, pastas and cereals, and brown rice.

Eat more fresh fruit and vegetables with your meals.

If you eat store-bought meals, aim for those with lowest
saturated fat, trans-fat and cholesterol content.

Remember that low-fat and fat-free foods may have more
sugar added and could have more calories than the “real”
thing.

Eating out can be a problem, but steer clear of fried
foods, don’t add more salt, watch out for the salad
dressings and don’t be tempted to start with slices of
bread and butter.

Don’t be put off by this list. It looks grim, and you
probably just love all the things you shouldn’t eat. But,
there are loads of alternatives out there just waiting for
you to find. After a while you will forget the bad and
enjoy the host of tempting choices.

Discover all about cholesterol, what it is, what it does, how to get it down and keep it down with James Brunton’s booklet “All About Cholesterol” at http://www.healthexplored.co.uk/eorder/shop.php
There’s a whole range of helpful guides to choose from.